Enlightenment for the dear Animals

Your Pet

“If you love your animal very much, this is what you must do for them, for their good rebirth and quick liberation from samsara. When the animal is dying or has died, recite OM MANI PADME HUNG, Heruka mantra and Heruka root mantra, and other mantras such as the Milarepa and Namgyalma mantras. You can recite the long mantras 21 times or more, and one mala or more of the short mantras. Blow strongly on the animal’s body after each recitation. Or, you can blow on water, visualizing each deity absorbed into the water. Each drop of water now has the power to purify negative karmas. Then, as you pour the water on the animal, all its negative karmas are purified.

If the animal is dying, you can do Medicine Buddha practice, visualizing the seven Medicine Buddhas on the crown of the animal. Then, you can also do 35 Buddhas practice, with nectar coming out of the 35 Buddhas and purifying the animal’s negative karma. Do this with strong refuge in the 35 Buddhas to protect and guide your animal.

When the animal is in the process of dying or even after its breath has stopped, if you have some sand from a Kalachakra sand mandala, you can mix it with butter and put it on the crown of the animal’s head. Each sand grain has many Buddhas abiding in it. It’s especially good if it has been blessed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama”. [3c]

Lama Zopa Rinpoche

World Animal Day

October 4

World Animal Day is on the Feast Day of St Francis of Assisi, who is Patron Saint of Animals and the Environment, and it is celebrated all over the world on October 4th.

Buddhists strive to extend their compassion to all living beings, both human and animal. Like us, animals have the capacity to feel pain, fear, love and kindness. Many Buddhist centres are holding special pet blessing events at this time. Kyabje Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche encourages people to do this. He says:

"The purpose of this is to bring peace to the animals and to make their lives meaningful, so that sooner or later they can be fully awakened and achieve highest happiness." [2a]

Farewell Tamdrin

On 1st July 2015 we lost our dear friend
Tamdrin the goat. Tamdrin was one of the earliest rescues that would become
Lama Zopa Rinpoche's Animal Liberation Sanctuary at Kopan Monastery,
Nepal. He was a young goat when he arrived, as most are when they find
themselves at a roadside butcher. Despite being the only goat without horns, he
could stand his ground and enjoyed playing with the other young goats. He
became quite familiar with the trips up to the stupas to do ‘korwa’ (circumambulation) and wouldn’t
need any leading.

Tamdrin was witness to all of the changes
and improvements to the temporary facilities behind Kopan Monastery from 2005
until the big move to the new land in January 2014. He survived the PPR (Peste des petits ruminants) outbreak
in 2010 where over half the herd at that time died (10 animals). He often had
problems with his feet, particularly in monsoon, but otherwise generally was in
good health.

When all the monastery goats joined the
nunnery goat ‘overflow’ in the big move to the new land and new shelters he was
a bit suspicious at first but soon adapted to the new arrangements and seemed
to be enjoying the place, along with his old friends like Jigme and Dorje.
Unfortunately Jigme died at the end of December 2014 and Tamdrin grieved at this
loss for some time.

He will be greatly missed. He would
invariably come to say a special hello to the project coordinators no matter
how long the duration since their last visit. He would offer up his hornless
head for a scratch and a rub and then would lean on you in that friendly way
goats show their trust and affection.

Tamdrin circumambulated and was ‘bopped’
with holy objects many times, as well as hearing sutras, prayers and mantras
from many different people, including Kyabje Thubten Zopa Rinpoche himself.

Please include Tamdrin and all the animals
at the Animal Liberation Sanctuary in
your prayers and dedications to quickly achieve Enlightenment for the benefit
of all beings.

RESPONDING TO THE DEVASTATION IN NEPAL

Sun - 26 Apr
Written by kin

Nepal has been struck by its worst earthquake in 80 years.
The human death toll is high as will be the animal death toll. The Animal
Liberation Sanctuary, Kopan is in the zone of the quake. Our staff have been
checking the animals to see if they are ok. Our friend Tree of Compassion is
leading a disaster relief team on the ground in Kathmandu led by Phil Hunt, Tree
of Compassion secretary and Animal Liberation Sanctuary Coordinator. Our first
task is to assess and reassure our animals at the sanctuary, the cows in
particular who are more easily frightened, followed by checking the safety of
the shelters and the security of the fences. Our goats and resident dogs are
quite adept at escaping should the opportunity arise.

There is currently no electricity or internet at Kopan and
phone connection is quite difficult. We will be posting updates as they are
available on our Facebook page (both Tree of Compassion and Enlightenment for
the Dear Animals). Then we will be conducting outreach for the community with a
focus on animals in need but also helping people. In a disaster of this
magnitude, we anticipate animals will have a range of needs such as emergency
veterinary care, emergency feed, shelter and so on.

As Buddhists, we will also be saying mantras to all the
animals we come across and ‘bopping’ them with a small statue given to us by
Lama Zopa Rinpoche for that purpose. We ask you to join us in saying prayers for
all those sentient beings affected, human and animal alike.

Indian Court Bans Animal Sacrifice

An Indian court has banned animal sacrifice in the state of Himachal Pradesh at
places of worship hopefully ending this old but very much outdated tradition.
Goats and other animals such as sheep are killed with knives as ‘sacrifice’ to
Hindu deities at certain times of the year in parts of the Himalaya. Many of
the goats at the Animal Liberation Sanctuary, Nepal, have been rescued from
these sacrifices as it is a widespread practice in Nepal.